Only God Forgives is an eye-catching title for a new film which doesn’t seem to have anything to do with what its name evokes. But consider the whopping implications of its title, especially about the source and nature of true forgiveness.

‘Only God Forgives’ is in cinemas now.

You might have no interest in seeing hyper-violent, neo-Western Only God Forgives, but those three words should stir you. Does ‘only God forgive’? What about people? Hey, hold on. What is forgiveness? Oh, yeah, and what would God have to forgive?

Great questions. Glad you asked. Only God Forgives has Ryan Gosling (in a galaxy far, far away from The Notebook) as Julian, an American drug-runner in Thailand. His crime-lord mother (Kristin Scott Thomas!) demands Julian exact revenge against his brother’s killers, leading brutally to a vicious cop called the ‘Angel of Death’.

Critics have been lukewarm towards Only God Forgives, without saying much about what the title could mean. Gosling’s blood-soaked arthouse film puts retribution and justice into the hands of corrupt men, suggesting humans are unable or unwilling to forgive.

Big call, as so many of us know how painful it is to attempt forgiveness. Similarly, you might feel insulted by being told ‘only God forgives’. What have you been straining to do? God couldn’t possibly have a monopoly on forgiveness, given the hurt, offence and destruction you have tried to make peace with.

No matter who you are, we all agree that forgiveness is one of the hardest elements of human existence. Renouncing anger and resentment, to pardon another person of something they have done against us, can seem impossible. Especially when they are unrepentant, oblivious or don’t care about our forgiving efforts.

Why do we bother forgiving, if it can be so excruciating? Christians like to talk a lot about the need to forgive. ‘Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us’ is one of the best-known lines from the Lord’s Prayer. But being told to do something isn’t the same as knowing why.

The Bible is laden with wisdom and explanation about forgiveness. Compare the Bible with other religious books, and the God revealed within its pages is more forgiving than any other deity (check out: Psalm 130; Hosea 14:4; Micah 7:18; Hebrews 10:17).

As attested by that Lord’s Prayer line, and our lives, humans aren’t perfect. We will do what we shouldn’t, and others will be hurt by our violations. Forgiving someone, then, makes most sense when anchored in God’s forgiveness of us.

What’s at the core of anything requiring forgiveness? Relationship that has been broken. In light of that, reflect on the biggest act of forgiveness you have mustered. Now, try to imagine the forgiveness it would take to NOT seek vengeance or punishment for the ways we damage our relationship with God, our loving maker.

Only God Forgives is close to the truth. Only God understands the total, true cost of forgiveness. What God did to offer forgiveness to us was enormous and heartwrenching. When next you struggle to forgive, examine and understand the biblical record of what God’s perfect, selfless son Jesus did. History’s ultimate enabling of forgiveness should shape our response to God, and our ability to forgive others.